Michigan homeowner fires gun at teen who knocked on door to ask for directions

Teen's mother says this is 'definitely' a hate crime

Koco McAboy,
Nick Monacelli

April 13, 2018, 7:43 am

Brennan Walker, 14, woke up late Thursday morning and missed the school bus.

He decided to walk to Rochester High School instead. However, he started to lose his way and needed help.

Brennan knocked on the door to a house on South Christian Hills Drive to ask for directions.

"I knocked on the door, stepped back, knocked, stepped back, and then a lady came downstairs yelling at me," he said.

The woman assumed Brennan was up to no good.

"She asked me, 'Why are you trying to break into my house?' and I told her I was just looking for directions to Rochester High," he said.

Then a man came downstairs armed with a gun. Brennan started running.

"I turned back and I saw him aiming at me," said Brennan.

Police said the man had the safety on the gun at first, but then he took aim a second time.

"I was running away ... I was trying to run away faster and I heard a gunshot," said Brennan.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard believes there is no way to justify what happened.

"That's just completely unacceptable on every level. I don't know how you would justify it, but it certainly doesn't pass the muster," said Bouchard.

Brennan's mother, Lisa Wright, wants the man to face serious charges.

"I want to see this pushed to the fullest extent. It definitely was a hate crime," she said.

Authorities are reviewing home security cameras as they investigate the shooting.

The man is in custody and is expected to face charges.

Brennan did not have a cellphone at the time because he was on punishment. His mother took the phone. His mother works the overnight shift and doesn't get off until 8 a.m. So Brennan is responsible for getting on the bus each morning.

Brennan actually went to two houses to ask for directions. He was trying to find a short cut to get to school and went through nearby neighborhoods after getting lost. He went to one house first and was given directions by a homeowner, but got lost again. It was the second house he went to where the man met him with the gun.